Separator for boiler blowoff products



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L. F. WILSON ETAL SEPARATOR FOR BOILER BLOW-OFF PRODUCTS Filed Dec. 18, 1944 July 16, 1946.

Patented July 16, 1946 UNITED TAT 7 SEPARATOR FOR BOILER BLOWOFF PRODUCTS Lyndon F. Wilson and Everett A. Preston, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Wilson Engineering Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application December 18, 1944, Serial-No. 568,663

3 Claims.

In the blowing off of boilers, both stationary;

and locomotive, to relieve them of accumulated sludge and water contamination detrimental to eflicient steaming, the blow-ofi products are discharged approximately at the rate of 150 gallons, or more, of fluid per minute. water with its steam fiash into the separator, meets cold surfaces and even though separated as efiectively as subsequent delivery when the liquid is flowing in a smooth spiral downwardly around the enclosing walls of the. separator, there is a brief period of recondensation of steam flash already separated. The consequence is that the condensatetends to carry along with the steam resulting in the discharge with the first .steam flash of more or less hot water.

One. of the purposes of our present invention, therefore, is to prevent this carry-over of water with the initial steam discharged, from themufiler... I At the conclusion of a blow-off the sudden cessation of the delivery of blow-off products, resulting from the closing of theblow-off cock, has heretofore occasioned momentary spilling to a greater or less degree of water from the separator out through the steam discharge opening. Since this water carries solids in solution and suspension, the efiect is to foul boiler jackets, cab windows and surfaces of following cars. This spilling is. caused by theaccumulation of circling water at the sides of the separator chamber which cannot immediately escape through the tangential discharge passage by which the separated water is delivered. The dropping, so to speak, of this circulating water as the vortex is destroyed by reduction of pressure and lost force, produces a splashing which results in the top spilling of the water along with the last of the discharged steam, as previously mentioned.

Another purpose of our invention is to overcome such spilling, which in the present disclosure is accomplished by providing an enlarged collecting chamber in which the water dropping from the side walls of the separator may be collected before ultimate delivery, thereby preventing it from splashing and spilling out with the steam.

Other objects and advantages of our invention The first rush of should be readily appreciated as the same 136- comes-better understood by reference to the fGlw lowing description when considered in OOHIIGCi-r tion with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to thedrawi-ng, i

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a separator embodying our invention; I i

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1'; and l m v Fig. 3 is an elevation looking toward the leftzit-Fig.1. 1 v

The separator hereillustratedi is oi -cylindrical contour, adapted to be mounted the topof a locomotive boiler forwardly'of the cab, "as inns-- trated in the prior patents to which reference been made or in any other convenientlocation to which the blow-ofi products of a boiler may be conducted. Wh'enused with-a stationary-boiler;

the separator may be suitably supported outside the powerhouse to deliver the separatedsteam to atmosphere and the liquid to the sewer.

Referring now to the drawing moreiri detail, it will be observed that the separator consists of a cylindrical casing 4 closed'at its bottom'by a wall '5 preferably upwardly curved. The top or" the separator includes a dome 6 provided with'a centrally located opening I surrounded by a depending flange 8. Secured to the under side of the dome is a depending arcuate flange 9 carrying a disc Ii disposed substantially parallel with and spaced from the lower edge of the flange '8. The disc carrying flange 9 is substantially semicircular in contour, so'that it, together with the disc i I, provides a baffle which obstructs the escape, of fluid through the opening 1 and thereby contributes to the separation of the steam and water and tends to prevent the. escape of water through the steam outlet 1.

Uponthe dome 16 is mounted a thimbl'e which consistsv of a cylindrical body I! provided with an inwardly sloping top [3 having a centralopening [4 aligned with but considerably smaller in size than the opening 1. A'sleeve l5 depends from the opening [4 into proximity to the plane of the opening 1, so that a chamber l 6 is provided by the thimble, which chamber is in communication with the opening 1.

The boiler blow-01f products, consisting of steam and water containing contaminants in solution and in suspension, are delivered tangentially into the casing 4 by an intake connection l1 extending through the wall of the casing into the separator, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and threaded at its outer end for connection with a pipe leading from the blow-01f cock.

The separated liquid is conveyed from the separator to a point of disposal by a discharge pipe I8 communicating with the separating chamber through a collecting box l9, preferably rectangular in cross-section, opening tangentially into the separator chamber to receive the liquid tending to accumulatein the bottom of the chamber. The box I9 is of greater cross-sectional area The size, shape, proportion and arrangement of the various part illustrated and described may than the corresponding area of the discharge pipe l8 and is, consequently, able to receiveand collect a volume of water in excess of the capacity of the discharge pipe. This structure is, there fore, adapted to accommodate the final separated water of each blow-off, thereby preventing its regurgitation and spilling out through the top with the steam, as has heretofore occurred when the discharge pipe communicated directly with the separating chamber.

In the operation of our improved separator, the blow-01f steam and contaminated water are dischargedtangentially into the separating chamber from the pipe ill. The liquid under centrifugal force clings to the peripheral Wall of the separator and under the influence of gravity spirals downwardly in the chamber into the collecting box [9 and outthrough the discharge pipe I8. The steam, because of the centrifugalaction upon the heavier water, separates from the water and moves toward the center of the separator and upwardly, so that it passes around the baflle H and out through the delivery opening M to atmosphere. During the initial stage of each blow-off, before the metal surfaces become heated, there is some tendency-for the separated steam to recondense on the cold surfaces of the structure and to carry over as water spray with the steam from the separating chamber. The thus condensed liquid particles passing out wardly through the opening 1 from theseparating chamber are, as a consequence of centrifugal action, passed not into the sleeve I5, but around the sleeve into the chamber 16 where they are collected and caused to drop back into the sepaf rating chamber. In this manner initial flashing or carrying over of condensate with the initial steam discharge from the separator is prevented.

When the blow-off cock is closed, thus termi nating the blow-off operation, the final blow oil? products under a diminishing pressure lag as they enter the separator and tend to drop to the bottom of the separating chamber without following the separator walls as closely as the preq ceding water under greater pressure. This collection of the water in the bottom of the cham ber has a tendency to cause spilling or splashing of some of the Water upwardly and outwardly with the discharged steam. The collecting box l19, howev'er, of larger cross-sectional area than the discharge pipe I 8, collects and accommodates thisfinal rush of water until it can be delivered by the discharge pipe. In this manner the'spilling of the final delivery of a blow-oil is pre vented. V

obviously be varied withinconsiderable limits without departing from the essence of our invention as defined in the following claims.

We claim: 1. A separator for separating the products blown off from a steamboiler, comprising acylindrical shell having a closed bottom wall and a top wall provided with a large centrally disposed steam outlet opening defined by an annular depending lip, a thimble rising from said top wall, consisting of, an upright cylinder, a top therefor having a central discharge opening of smaller area than said underlying shell outlet opening and a cylindrical sleeve depending from said thimble opening into proximity to the plane of the upper edge of said outlet opening, means for delivering blown off products tangentially into said shell, and means for receiving and discharging from said shell the separated ;liquid products, said means including a discharge pipe leading from the lower portion of said shell and ,gharge pipe.

a receiving chamber communicating tangentially with the interior of the shell and with said discharge pipe, said chamber being rectangular and of greater cross-sectional area than said dis- 2. A separator for separating the products blown off from a locomotive, .comprising a cylindrical upright shell having a closed bottom-and a top provided with a centrally disposed steam outlet opening, a thimble extending upwardly from said top and consisting of anupright cyl inder, a sloping top wall therefor having a small er discharge opening than the aforesaid steam outlet opening and a cylindrical sleeve depending from said opening, a discharge pipe, and a receiving chamber of greater cross-sectional area than the discharge pipe disposed tangentially to the periphery of'the first mentioned shellancl communicating with the interior of said shell and with said discharge pipe. .7 3. A fluid blow-off product separator, comprising a cylindrical shell having a closed bottom LYNDON F. WILSONQT' EVERETT A. PRESTQN. 

